The Song of My Heart: A Sequel
by stevie.boyette
Summary: Set a few years after the end of "My Turn for Love," we get another glimpse into the lives of Lester and Leslie as they start a new chapter of their marriage
1. Chapter 1

It was 8:30 in the morning and the entire Sinclair house was silent except for the sound of the grandfather clock ticking downstairs. All of the residents were asleep but one; Lester, although still laying in bed under the covers, was wide awake and getting increasingly bored as each minute passed by. He had always been a morning person, unlike his brothers, who slept until nearly noon, and his wife Leslie, who lay fast asleep right next to him. A tiny shadow crept into the room on their tiptoes, joining him in watching the sleeping woman. "Why Mommy not up?" "I don't know, Cherry Blossom," he replied, frowning slightly as he tried to think of a way to gently get his wife rousing.

They continued staring in silence until a lightbulb went off in the child's head. She treaded softly across the bedroom over to one of the bookshelves, giving it the bottom shelf a quick glance and reached out to grab the record she was looking for. "Now you be careful with that, Emmy," Lester told her firmly, getting a serious nod in return. He watched their daughter as she gently put the album in the record player and lowered the needle down. They both studied Leslie again as "Cherry" by the Jive Bombers began playing, waiting for her to stir.

When she didn't, the child huffed and lightly stomped her foot. "Mommy, it your song," the little girl said, getting impatient. After another few seconds ticked by with no response, Emmy nudged her mother in the nose with her finger. Leslie's eyes slowly dragged open, and when she saw who was standing in front of her, she smiled. "Hey, baby," she muttered tiredly. The girl growled impatiently in response, ready to get the day started just as much as her father did. Leslie grabbed the child in an instant, plopping her down on her stomach. "Good morning Emmy!" she shouted animatedly, giving her daughter a big hug, earning several giggles in response.

"How'd you get so pretty?" Leslie asked, pulling the hair from out of her tiny face. "She got it from her mother," Lester answered for his daughter. She looked up at him and grinned. "Ya got that right." The two shared a kiss, and another, then another. Before long, the little girl was squealing in disgust. "Mommy, Daddy, stop!" she demanded as she covered her eyes with her small hands. "What's wrong, baby?" Leslie asked after she pulled away from her husband, "Are you jealous?" The girl began squealing again as she was attacked, her mother covering her cheeks with kisses and lifting her pajama shirt to blow raspberries on her tummy.

Afterwards, she lifted her off and placed her back on the floor. "Go get changed," Leslie said and the youngster immediately ran back downstairs to her bedroom, excited to go pick out her outfit for the day. Leslie and Lester shared an amused look and burst into laughter. Leslie hauled herself out of the bed, groaning; she was still tired, having tossed and turned all night, but she wasn't going to leave her daughter waiting on her any longer. Lester teased her by laying back down on his pillow, stretching his arms and yawned, pretending that he was going back to sleep.

She threw a shoe at him, letting out a shriek as he pulled her down on top of him, kissing her until the song came to a close. "I love you," he whispered, rubbing their noses together affectionately. She gasped out loud and jerked back, making him stare at her like she had gone crazy. "How ironic," she said, "It just so happens that I love you too." He shook his head, rolling his eyes, and yanked her back to kiss her again. They smooched passionately until they heard their daughter calling them from downstairs, telling them that breakfast was ready.

After changing out of their own pajamas, the two went down to the kitchen where both Emmy and Bo were sitting. Leslie gave him a hard look; she had already made it very clear that she was in charge of making meals, but it looked and smelled so delicious that she let it slide this time. "Where's Vincent?" she asked as she scooped a hearty amount of scrambled eggs onto her daughter's plate. "Already ate," Bo replied, his mouth slightly full, "He'll be back soon." Leslie glanced back as she poured Emmy some orange juice to see her reaching for the plate of bacon, her little arm going straight across her uncle's plate.

"Child," she said sternly, closing the refrigerator door, "you better put your hand in your lap. Reaching across Bo's plate like that, you know that's rude." Emmy moved her hand back and looked at him apologetically. He only patted her head in return and asked her how many pieces of bacon she would like. She held up three fingers. Lester watched them lovingly while Leslie smiled to herself and poured the men and herself some coffee. "Mommy, can we play jailhouse?" Emmy asked sweetly, taking a sip from her cup. She sighed inwardly, but nodded. "After we're all done eating." Leslie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at Bo's exasperated expression; he loved Emmy to death, but he hated playing jailhouse.

Once all the dishes had been placed in the sink to soak, Emmy ran into the living, over to the CD player her uncles had gotten her for her last birthday. She made sure the correct CD was inside before pressing the play button, filling the room with the sound of James Intveld's voice. A few months prior, she, Leslie and Vincent all watched the Johnny Depp movie "Cry-baby"; Emmy loved it so much that she begged her parents to get her the soundtrack to it. Vincent came back into the house just in time to see his niece shaking her hips to the beat of the music, and all four of them watched in amusement as she danced.

But after the first song was finished, she immediately went over and turned it to one of the last songs of the CD. "Come on, come on!" she yelled, already getting herself in position to play. Bo and Lester drug their feet over to stand on either side of the energetic little girl while Leslie and Vincent stood opposite of the three. Unlike the men, both mother and daughter quickly got into character, swaying to the music, while "Please Mr. Jailer" played in the background. When they played jailhouse, it was really them just reenacting the scene from the movie; Leslie played the main female character, Lester played the male lead and Emmy was the infamous Jailer. And whenever she got her uncles to play along, Emmy would make them be a couple that were separated by prison bars too.

_Please Mr. Jailer, won't you let my man go free?_

_Please Mr. Jailer, won't you let my man go free?_

_He don't belong in prison, though he's guilty as can be_

_But the only crime he's guilty of is simply loving me_

_Please Mr. Jailer, won't you let my man go free?_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah!_

_Just look into his eyes, open up that door_

_Just listen to his guitar,you know the score_

"Please Mr. Jailer," Lester begged, turning to his daughter now, "Let an honest man go free." The child wagged her finger back and forth, tsking at him to get him under control.

_Please Mr. Jailer, don't you make no lifer out of me!_

_I'm innocent, I swear it, let my woman testify_

_She'll tell you where I was that night_

Leslie fell to her knees and reached her arms out to Emmy. "Yeah I'm his alibi! Won't you let my man go free?" The child erupted into giggles but shook her head no, causing her mother to pout dramatically. Lester and Bo stepped side-to-side to the beat, their hands held out in front of them as they pretended to be wearing shackles.

_Well, I'm tired of pressing license plates down in this rotten hole_

_I've gotta reach the outside before I lose control_

_Please Mr. Jailer, don't you make no lifer out of me!_

_Please Mr. Jailer, let me out of this penitentiary_

_Please Mr. Jailer, don't you make no lifer out of me_

_Please Mr. Jailer..._

"Won't you let my baby go free?" Leslie asked, stepping toward Lester, never taking her eyes off of him. They pressed their palms against the others and interlocked fingers. Vincent and Bo were doing the same thing, making their niece snicker at them in enjoyment, but Leslie was too busy harmonizing and being drawn in by her husband's sparkling brown eyes to pay them any attention. As the song drew to an end, the twins stepped away from each other awkwardly, grateful that no one else was there to see that. But the couple remained standing there, looking at each other and smiling dreamily. "Hellooo?..." Emmy said, tapping on their legs.

Leslie bent down and scooped the girl up in a flash, and pushed all three of their bodies together. They each kissed her on the cheek simultaneously and she squealed in delight, already wriggling out of their grip so she could be put back down; she was already ready to play the next song, which happened to be the Crows' "Gee." Lester and Leslie grinned at each other, wondering how they ever got so lucky to have a daughter who loves oldies music as much as they do. Bo laughed at them, making a kissy face and smooching the air mockingly, then turned to pick his niece up to dance with her.

Leslie leaned her head against Lester's shoulder, watching her daughter and brother-in-law spinning around the room, both of them wearing big smiles on their faces. Even after being married for the past four and a half years and having a beautiful family, it never ceased to amaze her how blessed she really was. It warmed her heart just how much Bo and Vincent cared for Emmy; Vincent was the first one to see her since he basically played doctor when Leslie was giving birth, but Bo fell in love with the little girl the very second he met her, and they had been practically inseparable ever since.

He kept her entertained so her parents could sneak back upstairs and start preparing themselves for the day ahead. Leslie got the ironing board out of their closet, waiting for the iron to heat up as she watched Lester make the bed. "I never understood the whole concept of making the bed every morning," Leslie said, starting to iron her and Lester's clothes for the day, "it's just going to get messed up again." Lester smiled slyly in response and wrapped his arms around her. "Why don't we mess it up right now?" he suggested, kissing her down the side of her neck, his hands sneaking their way down to her hips.

"You're gonna make me burn your outfit," she warned him, grinning. "I'm burning for you, baby." She laughed out loud and lightly smacked his arm. "You're so corny," she said as she leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips. They quickly finished cleaning up the rest of their bedroom and headed back downstairs, where Emmy was watching tv as she waited for her parents. Lester opened the door and they made their way into town, all three of them holding hands as they made their way into town.


	2. Chapter 2

The first stop on their family outing was the church. They made it a habit to start their day with some worship; as Leslie once said, what better way to prepare yourself for the day ahead than to put on the armor of God? After a group prayer, Leslie went over to the piano and started playing the song that Emmy always requested, "Amazing Grace." And as soon as she finished with that song, much to her husband and daughter's amusement, she began playing a piano version of "Cherry." Emmy clapped her hands and laughed, then went over to go slow dance with her dad to the music.

Leslie watched them with a smile on her lips. The church house was a much more peaceful setting now that it was rid of all the wax figures. The day that Emmy learned how to crawl on her own, Leslie instructed Lester and his brothers to store the statues elsewhere, not wanting her daughter to see them and they have to make up a story of why there were wax sculptures in other places than the House of Wax. It came as a shock of just how easily the Sinclair men did what they were told, completely uprooting how they lived their lives, all for the sake of that one little girl.

Bo had slipped up once, a few months after Emmy was born; he had killed a couple who had wandered into Ambrose, looking for assistance when their car battery died. It was actually Leslie who was the first to find out when she walked in on the grisly scene in the room underneath the gas station. To his surprise, she was very understanding toward him, knowing that he had been murdering others for half of his life and was violent even as a child, but she warned him that if he wanted to remain a part of her daughter's life, he needed to stop for good. It only took that one threat for him to wise up; he wasn't willing to jeopardize his relationship with his beautiful niece for a few hours of fun while he tortured and tormented innocent visitors.

"Read this one, Mommy!" Emmy's voice tore Leslie from her thoughts and she looked up to see the girl running over with a Bible opened up in her little hands. She smiled, happy that her daughter was so eager to study the Word of the Lord, and pulled her up onto her lap. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy-" "Told you, Daddy!" Emmy said, interrupting Leslie. "What's that, baby?" he asked as he came around the corner, the jacket she had left there the day before draped over his arm. "You're not 'apposed to do chores every day!" Lester smirked at her, shaking his head as she had Leslie read it again. "Well, I guess you're right," he admitted and gave her a wink. Then the three grabbed hands again, escorting each other back down the aisle and out the front door.

* * *

Leslie's life was like this; every day she and Lester would get up, eat breakfast and spend some family time together before Lester went off to rid the streets of roadkill. So throughout the rest of the day, it was up to Leslie to entertain Emmy, cook, and clean up around the house. These tasks left her exhausted, and she finally understood what everyone meant that parenting is a full time job. And with doing all this work all day long, she ended up falling asleep not long after Lester came back for dinner.

It was taking a toll on their love life too. Not only had they not really been able to spend a romantic evening together or had the house to themselves, they hadn't made love in over a month now. Of course they both wanted to, but with their conflicting schedules or just the fact that they were tired nearly all the time, they just never found the time to "get together." And the one night a week ago, they were both completely naked and ready to begin when Emmy walked in after having a nightmare. Being the first time they had ever been caught like that, it made them both paranoid about even trying to sleep together.

Another strain on their marriage came from the urge Leslie felt to spend time with other people. She missed her friends from back home and yearned to have someone besides Lester or her brother-in-laws to chat with; she needed some girl time, and Emmy was sometimes too young to fulfill that need. There were several times that she caught herself imagining Ambrose filled with people, the shops open and welcoming customers in, and no wax figures, except for in the museum. But she wouldn't dare tell Lester about it, out of fear that he would get mad with her and accuse her of not being grateful for the life she does have.

So there was a wedge in her and Lester's relationship at the moment. One minute she would be missing him, both physically and emotionally, and the other minute, she would be subconsciously pushing him away, too stuck in her fantasy world. Before long, they were barely talking other than the time they spent with Emmy in the mornings.

* * *

It was only four o' clock in the afternoon when Lester came home. He walked over to Leslie, who was wiping the crumbs from off the coffee table, and kissed her on the forehead,careful to keep the dead animal smell downwind from her. "How was your day?" he whispered, aware that Emmy had just laid down for a nap. She only shrugged, hardly even glancing up from the counter as she bent down to look at it at eye-level to make sure she didn't miss any thing. Lester sighed to himself, once again feeling ignored, and went up the stairs to take a shower.

When he returned, all squeaky clean, he stood behind her, enclosing his arms around her waist and pulling her in close. "Why don't we go upstairs?" he suggested mischievously, grinding his hips against her and kissing her neck. She didn't respond, only wriggled out of his grasp and grabbing the broom. He stood there dumbfounded as she immediately started sweeping as if he weren't even in the room. "Leslie..." he tried saying, but she kept ignoring him even further. Having enough, he grabbed her by the arm and tugged her up the stairway.

Once they reached their bedroom, he gently pushed her inside and closed the door behind them. "What is your problem?" he demanded, still talking in a hushed tone. She just glared at him and crossed her arms. "It seems like you're the one with the problem," she responded, "I thought you were over this whole manhandling thing, pulling me up the stairs and what not." His eyes narrowed, but he stayed put, remembering the whole cruel physical incident like it was yesterday. So they stood there in silence, the tension rolling off of them like crashing waves.

"Leslie, please," he pleaded, taking her hands in his and looking her in the eye, "Please tell me how to fix this." She just turned her head to the side in a huff. "Well if there were other people in this stupid town, maybe we wouldn't be having this problem!" Her eyes went wide and she stopped talking; she didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out. He looked at her incredulously, jerking his hands away as the shock of what she said overcame him. "So this is what this is all about, huh?" he said in a mean, mocking tone, "Then why don't you just go back home then. I'm sure Jack will take you back if you ask him." Her jaw dropped at his words; she hadn't even thought about her ex-boyfriend in almost a year. Tears came to her eyes, but Lester just left the room, slamming the door as he went.


	3. Chapter 3

Leslie sat on the edge of the porch wall, leaning her head against the side of the house. The sun was lowering behind the house which meant that a big shadow covered the front yard, and only darkened her mood further. She sighed heavily and hugged her knees closer to her chest, but then the door creaked open behind her. As she turned to see who it was, she saw Emmy walk outside, clutching her teddy bear and still sleepily rubbing her eyes. "Why are you crying, Mommy?" the girl asked solemnly, coming to sit down next to Leslie. She sighed again and wiped away her tears. "Mommy's just feeling lonesome, sweetie."

"I heard you and Daddy fighting," she continued while looking down at her feet, "it woke me up." Leslie wrapped her arm around her daughter and gave her a side hug. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, "we didn't mean to." They sat quietly, and Leslie knew Emmy could tell that there was something more that was the matter. She looked up at her with her big eyes and waited for her to continue. "But... maybe he's right. Maybe there is something the matter with me... I just don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad..." The little girl covered her mouth to stifle her excited laughter; her mother knew that "The Little Mermaid" was one of her favorite movies and would always randomly sing the songs for her.

She pulled Emmy up onto her lap and cleared her throat before singing:

_Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?_

_Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_

_Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?_

_Look at this trove, treasures untold_

_How many wonders can one cavern hold?_

_Looking around here you'd think, sure, 'She's got everything'_

_I've gadgets and gizmos a plenty_

_I've got whozits and whatzits galore_

_You want thing-a-ma-bobs? I've got twenty_

_But who cares? No big deal. I want more..._

Leslie rested her chin on top of her daughter's head and looked out upon Ambrose sadly, but was seeing past it: daydreaming of a brighter future.

_I wanna be where the people are_

_I wanna see, wanna see them dancing_

_Walking around on those, what do you call 'em?_

_Oh! Feet._

She reached out in front of her and began tickling Emmy's toes, causing her to squeal and kicked out her feet, rocking both her and Emmy's legs back and forth off of the porch.

_Flipping your fins, you don't get too far_

_Legs are required for jumping, dancing_

_strolling along down a, what's the word again?_

"Street!" Emmy exclaimed, and Leslie nodded, thanking her for "reminding" her of the word.

_Up where they walk, up where they run_

_Up where they stay all day in the sun_

_Wandering free, wish I could be_

_Part of that world_

_What would I give if I could live out of these waters?_

_What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?_

_Bet'cha on land, they understand _

_Bet they don't reprimand their daughters_

_Bright young women, sick of swimming_

_Ready to stand_

_I'm ready to know what the people know_

_Ask them my questions and get some answers_

_What's a fire and why does it- what's the word?- burn?_

_When's it my turn?_

_Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above_

_Out of the sea_

_Wish I could be_

_Part of that... world_

Emmy had fallen back asleep long before Leslie stopped finished singing. Gently, Leslie stood back up and quietly open the front door. She laid the child on the couch and covered her up with the blanket that was draped across the back. She waited a moment, making sure the girl didn't wake up again, then went back outside, making her way into the town.


	4. Chapter 4

Leslie sat on the sofa chair in the small house right down the road from the church. She watched as the elderly woman that stood at the window pulled the curtain back once again. When Leslie first began feeling lonely and wanted someone to talk to, she started going to Old Mrs. Robertson's house to visit. As the woman automatically moved the curtain back after forty-five seconds had passed, Leslie went into the kitchen and started preparing some hot tea. When it was finished, she put lemon slices on the edge of the cups. She set one of the mugs down on the window sill next to Mrs. Robertson before sitting back down.

"I just don't know what to do, Edna," Leslie said, stirring her tea somberly with a spoon. Of course the woman didn't respond, but that didn't keep her from talking some more. "I'm just so sick of only spending time with my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, with all my heart, but... Why can't I have friends here? People to talk to, or at the very least, nod at each other awkwardly as we pass each other on the street." Leslie sighed, her heart heavy. The image that constantly stayed stuck in her mind was the vision of Ambrose filled with people, an actual thriving town again.

Lester and Bo had told her tales of what the town was like back in the day, when the population was just over two hundred civilians. Those stories weren't exactly fond memories for the Sinclair men though; as kids and teenagers, they were all considered weird by the townspeople and teased constantly. But Leslie knew that people had changed over the years; they were nicer towards their fellow men. And she dreamed of the town getting back to its former glory.

She squeezed her eyes shut tight as she felt the tears coming on again, but this time, she didn't try and prevent them from flowing. Salty water streamed down her cheeks, rolling off her chin and dropping down onto her jeans. The sound of drapes opening again caused a sensation of peace to overcome her, and one last tear dripped from her eye as she took in a shaky breath. She stood up, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants and retrieving both mugs to put in the sink. After wiping them down with a wet sponge and drying them with a dish rag, she set them back in the cabinet, turning the handles outward for the next time she would come over.

She made sure the door had shut all the way and made her way down the steps, giving Mrs. Robertson one last glance. As if on cue, the curtains jerked back and the woman stared out the window. Leslie couldn't help herself from waving good-bye at her. But then she noticed just how dark it had gotten outside, so she reached out to open the latch on the gate. As soon as she closed the gate door, a sudden sound made her look to her left. Lester had just coming out of the church and was walking back up to the house when he spotted Leslie frozen in place, her arm still on the fence as she stared back at him.

He paused for a moment, then exhaled resignedly and stepped over to her. She remained still as she watched him stop right in front of her. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, but he eventually pulled her close to him, embracing her snugly. The waterworks started up again as soon as she was in his hold, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself closer to his chest. After about a minute of them just hugging in silence, they finally pulled apart.

"I'm sorry," he said, keeping his arms around her shoulders and sighing again. He brushed away the tears and Leslie looked down in embarrassment. All throughout their marriage, she prided herself in being calm, cool and collected; she hated when she got emotional like this. "I'm sorry to," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt, "But just know, Jack has nothing to-" "I know," he said, interrupting her. She looked at his calm exterior and it took her a second to realize that he actually understood. She nodded and they hugged again, standing there, completely content just by being next to each other.

* * *

Lester led her back to the house, their fingers interlocked. The front room was vacant, but they could tell by the voices in the back of the house that Bo, Vincent and Emmy were all in the girl's room playing. They heard the words "tea party" coming out of the little girl's mouth, and Leslie laughed to herself, just imagining the two grown men in princess dresses and their pinkies out as they sipped from the plastic cups. And from a quick glance into the kitchen, they could see that the three had already eaten some leftovers from the night before.

"Come up here," Lester whispered, motioning up the stairway, putting his finger to his lips to tell her to keep quiet. Curiously, Leslie did so, wondering if there was some sort of surprise waiting for her. He directed her into their room, bowing like a gentlemen as he let her go in first. She giggled and stepped inside. Looking around, she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but when she turned back around to ask Lester what he was talking about, he was shirtless.

Her voice caught in her throat as her eyes ran down his torso. The setting sun shone through the window, illuminating each detail of his ab muscles. Leslie caught herself practically drooling at the sight and her face reddened slightly. Lester grinned at her, very amused by how he still had the capability of turning his wife into a blushing school-girl. He moved towards her, but didn't stop when he reached her; he kept guiding them backwards until Leslie's back hit the wall. Then he took her by the waist and lifted her up, her legs automatically wrapping around him to steady herself.

She gasped as he hitched his hips up, their groins moving against each other. He forced her arms up too, pinning them against the wall while he kissed her passionately. She kissed back, but could barely move; and she found that she was enjoying that very much. All of a sudden, Lester whirled the both of them around, causing Leslie to shriek softly in surprise. They landed on the bed with Lester hovering over top of her. She began panting as he put his his hands underneath her shirt, running them across her bare skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

In an instant, both of their shirts and pants were thrown onto the floor. Lester covered her mouth with his hand without explanation and hooked Leslie's legs around him again. He ground against her firmly, making her moan under his palm, her back arching in pleasure. Her fingers twisted in his hair as he repeated the action and before long, Leslie was looking at him desperately with a pleading look in her eyes. Taking the hint, he removed his boxers but left her underwear on. She didn't even have the time to look at him confusingly when he simply pulled her panties to the side and plunged inside of her.

She cried out, still stifled by Lester's hand, and her eyes went wide before shutting tight in ecstasy. He didn't give her a chance to take a breather; he just kept pounding into her, releasing all the sexual strain that had built up over the past month. He finally took his hand off of her, using it to help prop himself up, and he attacked her neck, kissing and nibbling at it. She fisted a handful of the bed sheets, urging herself not to scream out in pleasure, not wanting to be caught by Lester's brothers, or Emmy. Her legs pulled Lester in as close as possible, frantic to have his body pressed right against hers at all costs.

So it came as a shock when she stopped him, pushing him back forcefully, but then climbing on top of him. Straddling his hips, she lowered herself down onto him, the two sighing together in pure bliss. His fingernails dug into her hips as she rode him and her head fell back in pleasure. Just the sight of her was normally enough for him, but at this point of view, with the sun blazing behind her and her hair looking as if it was on fire, it nearly sent him over the edge. He groaned and bucked his hips up, so close to finishing.

But she abruptly looked down at him, her eyes shining in intensity. "Ohh, no," she said, shaking her head, still moving up and down, "You're not allowed to come yet." He stared up at her in amazement, watching as this dominating women came to life right in front of his eyes. She moaned and her eyes rolled back as she came down on him at a particularly good angle. She quickly brought herself back to attention and eyed him again. "Don't you dare come... until I do."

It wasn't much longer when Leslie found the spot that made the both of them gasp out loud, both of their toes curling in pleasure. Following her own instructions to go faster, harder, she kept moving, and Lester couldn't stop himself from jerking his lower body up towards hers. She looked at him, breathless but still giving him a disapproving expression. "What did I just say?" she demanded, "Don't even think about it." She bounced on top of him at a more rapid pace, now finally on the verge of climaxing herself. But each second that passed by was like torture to Lester; it took everything he had not to explode. "Fuck..." Leslie fell forward slightly, gripping the headboard and looking her husband directly in the eye.

They stared at each other, panting and whimpering as they were both brought to the edge, crying out simultaneously. Leslie's grip on the headboard slipped and she landed right on top of Lester; their chests heaved up and down as they attempted to catch their breath. After a few minutes, he rolled them to the side, holding her in his arms and giving her light kisses on her shoulder and cheek. She turned to him, her face flush of color and let him kiss her on the lips. "I love you," he said simply, smiling at her as he brushed the stray strands of hair from out of her face. She cuddled up closer to him and returned his smile. "I love you too."

* * *

After the couple had a chance to cool off and change clothes, they headed down the stairs, calling the other men into the kitchen. They sat at the table, holding hands as they waited, smiling dreamily at each other. It came as a surprise to both of them how much some good old-fashioned physical release could do, because they were both much happier now. The twins finally made their way into the kitchen and took a seat. Bo smirked at them and Leslie blushed in return; she knew that they probably heard everything that just happened, especially through the house's thin walls.

"Leslie has something she wants to say to all of us," Lester began, "and I think we all need to listen." He nodded at her to start, and she took a deep breath, her hands already shaking nervously. "Now, this is just an idea, and we don't have to do anything about it right now, but... I think we should consider re-opening the town for people to live here." She paused, hesitantly looking around the table. Bo was looking at her skeptically, unconvinced that he had heard her correctly, but his face growing redder by the minute. Vincent stared at her, his only working eye widened. And Lester, who had already heard this before, looked down at the table, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Immediately after seeing all their not so positive reactions, Leslie began second guessing herself. Her blood ran cold and her stomach turned to a block of ice, and she wished she could take back her words, or not have called everyone down for a meeting in the first place. However, before the urge to run completely overtook her, Lester spoke up. "I think we need to consider it." His voice was soft, but it was also steady as he figuratively stood by his wife. "Yes, please just think about it," Leslie said in a pleading tone, not wanting to offend them by implying she was pushing her wishes on them, "We don't have to do anything about it now."

Bo stood up suddenly, his chair screeching against the linoleum. He stormed out of the kitchen and started marching back and forth, visibly seething. Leslie instinctively went to stand up and go try to calm him down, but Lester stopped her. She looked over to one of the bookshelves in the front room, where a framed portrait of all five of them sat, their only family picture together. "I just want what's best for my daughter," she continued, "what I think is best for all of us. To be able to make friends, get to know people who share our interests. They do exist, you know." Bo continued pacing around the living room, but they could all tell he was trying to get a hold on his anger, so they waited silently.

Leslie tried standing up again when Lester grabbed at her hand again. 'It's okay,' she mouthed and, after pondering it for a few seconds, he let her go. She walked up to Bo calmly, her hands up in defense. He stopped, almost running into her, and growled. "Please, Bo," she begged delicately, "think of Emmy." His face immediately wiped clean of his bitter look, and he simmered down. She waited until he was breathing normally again before speaking again. "She won't grow up like a normal little girl without people around. How will she learn all she needs to know with just us around?"

Bo froze, turning to look at the same picture that Leslie had just glanced at. "You know she needs friends, friends her own age. But you will always be her uncle." He looked down at his feet with an expression that Leslie knew was in agreement with her. Then, he sniffed and started awkwardly rubbing his face with his hand. With a jolt, Leslie realized he was crying; a lone tear ran down his face, though barely visible in the darkened room. She stood there, not knowing exactly what to do, but ended up walking over to him and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, nearly crushing her in his strong embrace.

"You're a good mom, Leslie," he muttered into her ear. She rubbed his back, not able to reply. She knew that all three men had issues with their mother, but none more than Bo; he had been beaten, strapped down to his high chair, and called the "bad child." But even though he may have hated his mother with a burning passion, he still loved her at the end of the day. And when the brothers were left alone and without any parents at a relatively young age, none of them really knew how to cope. So it both broke and warmed Leslie's heart that the Sinclair men could finally see after all this time what a good and truly caring mother really was.

Once they pulled apart, they rejoined Lester and Vincent at the table and commenced making plans on bringing the town back to life.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Sorry about the delay!)**

~Six and a half months later~

Another day was coming to a close for the small town of Ambrose. Being eight 'o clock in the evening at the beginning of November, it was already pitch black outside, the sun having already set a couple of hours before. Lester and Leslie walked up the front steps to the house, hand-in-hand, the both of them exhausted from helping out with the grand opening of the convienence store. There were already quite a few people that had moved into the town, mainly small families, business owners, and artsy folks. And they had just received word that day that an elderly retired couple from Baton Rouge were planning on moving in at the end of the month. The population only reached about sixty now, but since most of the families had younger children just around Emmy's age, Leslie was feeling especially ecstatic about the situation.

As soon as they stepped through the doorway, they could make out Vincent's voice coming from the back of the house. Curiously, they walked to Emmy's bedroom and peeked their heads in the room. Inside, Vincent and Emmy were cuddled up together on her bed with a picture book in his hands. He sounded rough as he read; he had only recently starting using his voice again after becoming slightly more comfortable without his mask on. It was Emmy who convinced him a month ago to only wear the mask every once in a while; she said that she preferred to see all of his face so she could give him kisses on both of his cheeks.

And since Leslie was an art major in college, she had been experimenting with different mediums to try and create a realistic face that would also properly stick to Vincent's face, but so far she hadn't had much luck. But what really made the difference was when Bo apologized to him, finally telling him that he was sorry for calling him a freak all of their lives. They both knew that Bo took out the anger he had against their mother and lashed out at Vincent. The day that Bo apologized was the day that Vincent kept his mask off for good, expect for trips they all made into town.

Leslie smiled at them before they went upstairs, her heart swelling with happiness. Later that night, Leslie found that she couldn't sleep. So she sat up in the bed, bringing her legs to her chest and resting her head on her knees. She looked at the sleeping form of her husband laying next to her and heard the sounds of the light snores from her daughter and her brothers-in-law, causing her to smile to herself. It really felt as if all of their lives were finally coming together.

It was a struggle getting the town back to a presentable order. Throughout the spring and summer, which had been exceptionally hot, all four adults worked to painstakingly rewire the electricity to a building in the center of town. When Leslie took Emmy back to the house to have her midday nap, the men would load up their trucks with the statues not made entirely of wax and take them down to the roadkill pit. There, they would burn a few at a time and toss the remains in the hole, covering it all with the animal bodies.

Since there were nearly a hundred bodies to get rid of, it took several months and all of their spare time to complete the job. It was exhausting work, but at the end of each day, they all came back to the house, joining each other at the kitchen table. There they would have a nice dinner, joking around and telling each other stories about their individual day. It was for that reason that Lester and Leslie decided not to move into one of the houses in town and have more room for themselves; they were a family, tight-knit, and it felt horrible when they were separated.

Bo, of course, remained working at his service station, but actually helped people out when they had car trouble. At Leslie's request, he cleaned up the room underneath his shop and turned it into a proper office, but kept a cot down there in case he worked late. Originally, Leslie wouldn't allow her daughter to spend time with him at the gas station because she feared Emmy would wander downstairs and catch sight of the Polaroid pictures of women with tear-streaked faces, tied down to the chair. But now that he had fixed that situation, Emmy was allowed to go visit Bo whenever she pleased, and even occasionally took her naps on the cot.

Lester still helped keep the streets of the town clean by picking up the roadkill and throwing it into the pit, but he was also now the pastor at Ambrose Baptist Church. At first, he was worried that no one would want to hear him preach if he didn't go to seminary school, but he ended up drawing people in with his natural talent at speaking. He always said how proud it made him to have his wife and child standing by his side as they all shook people's hands after the sermon. It came as a shock that both Bo and Vincent, who had never really seemed that interested in hearing a godly message, showed up on Lester's first day preaching at the church. Only Vincent continued to keep coming back, listening to his brother intently, but making a quick departure after the service ended.

The week before, Vincent re-opened the wax museum as the official manager. Leslie giggled quietly as she remembered him asking her permission to feature her at the ribbon cutting. He had finished the statue of Leslie that he had started nearly five years ago, perfecting all the details in her face and really recreating her likeliness. Even though he kept her original hair style, long hair that reached the bottom of her shoulder blades, when she stood by the figure, even Lester could barely tell the two apart. He had even dressed the statue in the same clothes that Leslie had worn when she first came to the town, those many years ago.

Other than being a preacher's wife and a mother, Leslie worked very hard co-running the town's new art supply store and studio that she and Vincent started together. On the two days that the House of Wax was closed, Vincent would come help her run the register or work alongside the other artists, painting, drawing, and sculpting. But the rest of the week, the responsibility of the shop rested on Leslie's shoulders. So most of the time, she allowed Emmy to go off and visit her uncles, as long as she promised to stay out of their way if they were working and help them out when they needed.

Leslie's eyes began drooping and she lay back down, rubbing her head against her soft pillow and cuddling up next to Lester, subconsciously preparing herself for another day to begin.

* * *

The sun shone through the windows, alerting Leslie that it was now time to wake up. The spot next to her was empty because Lester had already left to go pick up the animal corpses before returning to finish up his sermon for tomorrow morning's service. Leslie stretched her arms and let out one big yawn before getting up. She skipped to their closet, overjoyed that it was Saturday, her favorite day of the week. She picked out a nice brown sweater, a simple but beautiful scarf and a pair of plain blue jeans and hurriedly began getting dressed. Today, she and Emmy had scheduled a play date with one of the newer arrivals, single mom Rebecca and her five year old son Jarred.

They met in front of the movie theater, the two moms sharing a humored laugh at how their children were randomly dressed alike. Both Rebecca's son and Emmy were wearing white and light blue; she was wearing a polka dotted dress with a bright yellow bow in her hair and he had on a white and blue striped shirt with a tie of the same color. "He wanted to dress up today," Rebecca explained with a shrug. The group headed into the theater after getting two bags of popcorn, but the children asked to sit by themselves a few rows down. The moms exchanged a look, but let them go ahead, continuing to smile and laugh at how cute they were after they sat down.

After the movie, Rebecca invited Leslie and Emmy to join them for lunch at their house, which they graciously accepted. The women sat in the kitchen, gossiping and drinking coffee, while the kids sat in the living room, enjoying their PB&Js in front of the t.v. The four spent almost four more hours together, having such a great time that they didn't realize how late it was getting until they looked out the window and saw the sun was setting. "Ohh, shoot," Leslie said with a frown, "I've gotta get home and start dinner." Rebecca rose out of her chair too and escorted them to the door. "We've got to do this again!" Rebecca said. Leslie agreed with a smile and a nod, her and Emmy returning the good-bye waves before turning to walk back home.

* * *

"I wish you could have been there, babe. It was so much fun." All the Sinclairs were sitting at the table in mid-meal and Leslie was describing to Lester how the play date went. Lester grinned at her excitement and gave her hand a squeeze under the table. "And Rebecca is such a sweet woman, and brave too," Leslie continued, "She moved here all the way from North Carolina to give her and her son a a fresh start. And Emmy and Jarred really hit it off; holding hands in the theater and what not." "Mom!" Emmy said complaining, her cheeks starting to turn red. "Aww, would you look at that!" Leslie exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "It looks like our Emmy may have a little boyfriend."

"Stop it!" Everyone turned to Bo after his fist came crashing down on the table. His face was turning red too, but in anger. Leslie furrowed her brow in confusion. "Bo... what's the matter?" "You know damn well that little girl is far too young to be _dating_!" He spat out the last word and continued on in a rampage. "I won't have it, you hear me?!" He took an angry shuddering breath, staring Emmy from across the table. The child blinked once, her eyes immediately beginning to fill with tears. With a wail, she got out of her chair and ran down the hall, closing her bedroom door with a muffled slam.

"What is wrong with you?" Leslie shouted as she started to stand, but Lester stopped her, gesturing that he would go comfort their daughter. As he walked to the back of the house, she sat back down shakily, still furious at Bo for upsetting his niece like that. "I ain't gonna have it," he repeated, folding his arms across his chest as if that were the end of the subject. Leslie stood up again at this, smacking her palms down on the table, making the plates shake. "You listen here, Bo Sinclair," she said, glaring at him, "She is my daughter, not yours, and it is up to me and Lester to raise her as we see fit.

"Secondly, you once again let your anger get the best of you. Now she is in her room, crying into her pillow, all because of you. Did you forget that is your only niece, and you just yelled at her?" His face slowly changed from red to white as she went on in her threatening tone. "And thirdly," she hissed, "the whole boyfriend comment was a joke." She stormed away, not bothering to hear if Bo had any response to this, and joined her husband in consoling their child.


	6. Chapter 6

Bo sighed to himself, his fingers drumming against the front counter in boredom. It was Monday, the start of the work week, but it was already 3:30 in the afternoon and he had only had two customers all day. He rested his elbow on the counter, placing his chin on top of his hand and sighed again, rolling his eyes. When people started moving into the town, Bo assumed that more business would come too, but that didn't seem the case. Then again, he had never been very strong when it came to patience and didn't seem to realize that sometimes there were slow days.

Thankfully, at that moment, bells chimed, signaling that the front door had been opened. Bo jerked his gaze upward and prepared to greet the person who was coming in when he was stopped short. Standing in the doorway was Rebecca; he easily recognized her by her long flowing brown hair, the same hair that swayed around every time she and Leslie saw each other and would hug excitedly. Now that she was standing in front of him, he saw that she was actually quite beautiful; she had eyes the color of the sky on a nice day, and her hair drapped over her shoulders which nicely complimented her tanned skin.

But he looked past all of that as she walked towards him. The blood that had drained from his face now bubbled back up in fury as the woman approached him with her head held high, her eyes staring him down coolly. He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing. "May I help you?" he asked icily with an expression of mock hospitality. She smirked at him, ignoring his tone. "I need an oil change. It's been quite a few months since I've had one." He bit back the urge to roll his eyes and groan in frustration, and headed to the garage section of the shop after motioning for her to sit down in the waiting area.

He slid the garage door open and made his way back to the other side of the store. "I need your keys to pull the car in." She dropped the keys into his hand without even looking up from her book, flipping another page as he stood there. "Need something else?" she asked, giving him a sarcastic smile. He growled under his breath and turned on his heel and marched back into the other room. A little under a half hour later, Bo was finishing up the job; he was underneath the car getting the pan he used to catch the oil when he glanced up and saw a pair of feet next to his legs.

He jerked up reflexively, banging his head in the process. He cursed under his breath and rolled himself from out under the car. Rebecca was standing there with her arms crossed across her chest and a joyful looking sneer on her mouth. "Was just checking to see if you were almost done," she explained, looking as if she was trying to hold back laughter. He scrambled out from under the car and dug his nails into the pan, longing to dump the used oil on her head. "Yup, all done," he replied disdainfully.

She took a step towards him calmly, still looking him firmly in the eye. He watched her warily, getting more nervous with each step she took. As she got closer, he backed away, ending up sandwiched in between her and the car. He licked his dry lips as he saw the fire in her eyes and felt her press up against him. Before he knew it, her lips were on his and they were kissing passionately right in the middle of his service station. Their breathing grew ragged as the kiss intensified and before long, they were forced to pull apart just to catch their breath.

"So... how much do I owe you?" Bo gaped at her, flabbergasted. "What?" he finally managed to spit out. "For the oil change," she said as she grinned. "It's thirty." She smiled, running her fingers lightly through his hair. "In that case, I'll meet you here tomorrow at 7, and I'll pay for dinner in exchange for your... services." She finished her sentence with another little smirk and she waited for him to respond. He stuttered at first, stunned at the beautiful woman in front of him, but finally collected himself and leaned back serenely. "I'll see you then."


	7. Chapter 7

The next evening, Bo sat in a stiff chair, already uncomfortable in the clean, freshly pressed shirt that Leslie forced him to wear after she heard he was having dinner with Rebecca. They went to a restaurant he was also very unaccustomed to. It was brightly lit by chandeliers, the tables were made with wood from strong oak trees, crisp white tablecloths on top of them. The waiter dressed in black and white came to their table with a bottle of red wine. When he left again, Rebecca raised her glass, motioned for him to do the same, then cheered to the future. Bo stared at her after their glasses clinked together, trying to make sense of the situation, but was drawing a blank.

"Why am I here?" he asked her bluntly. She only raised her eyebrows slightly in return, as if the reason was obvious. "I mean, I'm sure your husband wouldn't-" "I'm not married,' she interrupted, and he looked at her oddly in return. "Well, I should probably get you back to your kid anyway. I wouldn't wanna keep you out past y'all's bedtime." She scoffed under her breath and raised her eyebrows at him. "You think just because I'm a mom that I live this normal, redundant life?" She paused, waiting to see if he would respond, but his face remained blank. "Well you're wrong," she continued, "I like danger."

She smiled slyly after she ended her sentence, lowering her head so she was looking up at him through her eyelashes. He couldn't speak for a moment; his mouth had gone dry. Eventually, he took a huge swig of wine and swallowed, slowly regaining his composure. Grinning back at her just as mischievously as she did, he replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The two saw each other every night for the next two weeks. Bo would come home very late, long after it had gotten dark outside; he filled the room with her perfume when he stepped through the door, a look of satisfaction gleaming along with the sweat on his face. Emmy was always asleep before her uncle returned, but during the day, she look stare at him in deep concentration with her head cocked to the side. The other three adults also exchanged glances when Bo walked in the room, but no one ever made a comment about it. Leslie, Vincent, and Lester would all discuss the situation when they were alone, but one night Bo came back earlier than they expected. Ever since then, Leslie didn't mention the relationship again, feeling too much like she was gossiping.

That didn't stop her from worrying about her friend and her brother-in-law. Their infatuation with each other seemed to be on lightning speed; after that first date, Bo and Rebecca started sleeping together, sneaking around. They saw each other constantly, but only at night, Bo leaving right after they put Emmy to bed. Then they would meet on the outskirts of town, running up and kissing passionately as soon as they met each other. The moment their lips met was like a spark that started a flame that consumed them for the entire evening. Bo's family could easily tell that he was falling for this woman, whether he'd confess to it or not.

But whenever Leslie or his brothers would bring up Rebecca's name, he acted as if he didn't know who they were talking about. When the couple saw each other in town, they would just give each other a nod of the head, smiling politely as if they barely knew each other, even though the rest of the town knew what was going on behind the scenes. The butcher, Mr. Greene, had caught them getting intimate in the bed of Bo's truck behind his store, and that news soon spread like wildfire around the small town. They didn't like to admit it, but Lester and Leslie were getting more and more embarrassed with Bo; the brother of the town preacher acting as if he was a boy in high school, running around with a girl at the late hours of the night, every night.

* * *

Near the middle of December, the town planned a big dance party to celebrate their 100th new member: a recent graduate student named Allison who wanted a change from the rush of the big city and a much deserved break from years of earning her master's degree. She already had made quite an impact on Ambrose; she landed a job at the small elementary school only a few days after she arrived. There, she worked closely with the kids of the town, Emmy included. Each day, she would come home and tell her parents and her uncles all about the fun activities Ms. Price organized for them.

Allison's charming personality and natural confidence not only earned her several friends, but a date to the dance with an unlikely person: Vincent. They met one day when she decided to check out the art supply store for ideas for new crafts when she saw the long haired, mysterious man behind the counter. Leslie was in the back running inventory and had left Vincent to run the register. She gave him a grand smile when he looked at her, causing him to blush and look down at his feet, already dazzled by her presence. Allison quickly learned that Vincent was a man of few words, but used that to her advantage; within three minutes of being there, she got him to agree to escort her to the town function the next evening.

The night of the dance, Vincent paced around the kitchen and living room anxiously. Leslie and Lester gave each other amused looks as they watched him, but also tried giving him words of encouragement. "She's a sweet girl," Leslie was saying as she brushed Emmy's hair into a ponytail, "A little young, but still sweet." Leslie didn't care much for the ten year age difference, but she knew a genuine connection when she saw one, and the two definitely had it. She fastened a festive red bow in her daughter's hair, then lightly pushed her in her uncle's direction. Emmy scampered over and gave Vincent a big hug and kissed him on the cheek after he picked her up. "You look great!" she said enthusiastically; even she could tell how nervous her uncle was about his date.

The four turned as they heard heavy footsteps clumping down the stairs. Bo was once again wearing the dress shirt he hated and a tie that matched Emmy's hair bow. "Aww, don't you look handsome!" Leslie commented, pinching at Bo's cheeks until he swatted her hand away. She only laughed and went back over to Lester's side, tucking her arm into his and rested her head on his shoulder. Emmy ran over to him and looked him overly carefully, inspecting his outfit. Finally she gave a nod of approval. Bowing deeply, Bo offered his niece his hand. "M'lady." She rested her palm on his and curtsied in return. But Emmy was in a hurry; she pulled him to the front door and waved her arm at everyone else. "Come on everybody, let's go!"

The town hall was filled with the sound of upbeat piano tunes and saxophones blaring cheerfully when they arrived. Lester and Leslie immediately swung out onto the dance floor, receiving cheers from the crowd as they spun around, looking like a couple at a 1950s sock hop. Bo joined them soon after when a not so patient Emmy tugged at his arm until they reached the center of the room. He quickly noticed many of the other townspeople giving him odd looks, some whispering to each other. He knew they were talking bad about him, about him and Rebecca, but all he just scowled at them until they turned away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his twin dancing with the new girl in town, moving in an awkward, uncoordinated way that showed he hadn't danced a day in his life. But Allison was taking charge, helping him move his limbs in a more graceful way to the beat of the music, and soon enough, Vincent almost looked like a pro. Bo smiled at the sight, it made him feel good that his brother was actually enjoying himself. When Emmy yanked at his arm, he re-focused on her, twirling her around like a ballerina, causing the small girl to giggle hysterically. But eventually, the child got tired out; Bo left her half asleep on one of the chairs and leaned against one of the columns to watch the rest of the crowd.

The music had slowed now, and all the couples were dancing closely to one another, swaying to the melody. He gave a soft chuckle when Vincent caught his eye again; Allison was pressed up against him, looking peaceful as she snuggled into his chest. Vincent's face slightly reddened when he saw Bo looking at them, but then lowered his head down to rest his chin on her soft hair. On the other side of the room, Lester and Leslie were just as close together as the other couples were, but they had their hands to their sides with their fingers laced together, looking dreamily into each others and smiling brightly at each other.

Bo frowned and started chewing the inside of his cheek. He and Rebecca had similar moments of course, but only in private. Normally, that would be exactly how he wanted it to remain, but lately he was getting restless; he wanted to look like his brother and Leslie, holding hands as they walked down the street, cuddling up on the couch to watch a movie, and tucking in their child to bed, smiling as she breathed in and out in tune to her dreams. More than once, he had caught them just standing there beside Emmy's bed, basking in the simple pleasures of their lives. Bo knew they were honestly happy together, a team that could function almost perfectly. And he wanted that too.

* * *

Bo stood in front of the mirror on the back of his bedroom door, checking himself over once more. He smiled when he recalled his conversation with Rebecca on the phone earlier that day; he called to make plans for that night, intriguing her with his formal tone of voice. He took extra time getting ready this time, making sure his hair was combed neatly and even tucked his shirt into his jeans. When he passed his family in the living room, they all looked up at him and took in his immaculate appearance. He saw Leslie raise her eyebrows at him in questioning, but chose to ignore it and just walked out the door. Walking down the stairs, he made sure to pop a few breath mints in his mouth as he made his way toward their usual meeting spot.

Rebecca was definitely surprised when she first saw Bo; he watched her as her eyes ran him up and down, noting his clean shaven face and how his shoes had been shined. Her eyes widened when he pulled out a single, long-stemmed red rose from behind his back, placing in her hand. He gave her a simple and sweet kiss on the lips, wrapping his right hand around hers, and her face full of questions when she drew back. "Come take a walk with me," he said causally, extending his other hand toward the dirt road in front of them. She curiously followed, all the while giving him a inquisitive look, but he just smiled in return.

They strolled in silence until they reached a spot in the woods, right off the side of the pathway. After they sat down on a fallen tree, Bo got right to business, in no mood to wait any longer to say what he needed to. "Rebecca, I want to be with you." She looked at him in shock, but he held up a hand; he had more to say than that. "I see my brother and his wife, and the rest of the couples in this godforsaken town, and now my own twin has a girlfriend. I just, I want to take you out in public, during the day. Take you on a proper date. Hold your hand in front of everybody and not give a damn. I mean... I care about you a lot, Rebecca. And I want to be with you."

He paused then, cupping both of her hands in his and looked her directly in the eyes, nodding at her to reply. There was a long interlude of silence then as she opened and closed her mouth, obviously trying to form words. "Bo..." He waited, eager for her to continue. "I can't." The breath whooshed out of his lungs as the words sunk in, then he looked up and looked at her disbelieving. "Why not?" he demanded, his hands started to form fists. She stared down at her lap, sighing deeply as she tried to think of how to phrase her next sentence. "Bo," she started, then stopped again, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Bo, there is one reason i can't really be with you fully, and that's my son." He sat up straighter with a jolt, definitely not expecting that response. "I don't understand." She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hands. "My son only knows you as the man who hates him," she said "and I can't hurt him by being in a committed relationship with you." Bo was at a loss for words; all he could do was watch Rebecca as she stood resignedly, giving him one last kiss on the cheek and turned. After she had left, Bo could almost see the world around him shattering. Before he stood up to leave too, he noticed that had left the rose sitting there on the log. He laughed bitterly; she had nonchalantly traded a simple gift for something far more complex: his own heart.


	8. Chapter 8

The mark of the new year came and went in a flash. New Year's Eve was a happy occasion in the Sinclair household, if you didn't count Bo. He wore his happy mask of a smile until Emmy fell asleep on the couch around 11 o' clock, then resumed his usual gloomy demeanor and stomped up the stairs. He could hear the rest of the couples downstairs, cheering as the clock struck midnight, laughter turned muffled as they kissed. He spat into his trashcan before taking a big gulp of beer. When he looked in the mirror, his reflection stared him back, the very definition of anger and despair, but to him it seemed mocking, and he had a strong urge to throw his beer bottle at it. Sneering at himself, he turned and walked back out of the room, ignoring his family's concerned looks as he stormed out the door and made his way into town.

Over the past month, Bo had become more and more angry, sinking deeper inside himself and shutting everyone else away. It was no longer unusual to see him literally throw a customer out of his shop and yell in their faces. And it was always the craziest reason too, whether they asked to pay with a debit card instead of cash or complained he gave them the wrong amount of change, out the door they went. Even Emmy was frightened of Bo, though he would never do anything to hurt her, no matter how much emotional pain he was going through.

He scarcely felt the drops of rain on his skin as he wandered down the dirt road, aimlessly strolling nowhere in particular. It took all his willpower not to glance at _her_ house, but he looked anyway. The light blue house lit up by the half moon made him feel ridiculed and he scowled at it. The boom of thunder sounded just before the sprinkling of water turned into a downpour. Cursing, Bo ran for cover underneath the ledge of the gas pumps and hugged his arms around himself, suddenly feeling how chilly it really was outside. He had just began muttering angrily to himself when a small voice called out. "Mister?"

He whipped his head to the side to see a small boy walking towards him, unfazed by the rain. He forced back a growl as Jarred looked up at him with a distressed expression. "What do you want?" Bo asked, not able to keep the sneer out of his voice. "Please," the small voice begged, sounding just as sad as its owner's face, "you need to come back. Back to my mom." Bo stopped short, gazing down at the boy with his mouth slightly ajar. "What?..." The boy took a deep breath and continued, "My mom misses you. She cries every night, and I can't make her feel better. She wants you back." Bo shook his head, staring at the ground, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "I know you don't really hate me," Jarred said, "Plus, Emmy's my best friend, but I don't want a girlfriend." He grabbed Bo's hand and gently led him to the same house that was mocking him earlier.

Inside, Rebecca lay on her couch, curled up under a throw blanket with a tissue clutched in her hand. She willed herself to sob quietly, not wanting to disturb her son, but every once in a while, she would cry out loudly, not able to keep the hurt inside her heart. When she heard the front door open and shut, she sat up straighter, still sniffling, her hand reached out behind her in case she needed a weapon. Her hand fell when Bo stepped into the room, trailed by Jarred, and the two stood there in silence with their hands in their pockets.

She stood up, shocked to see Bo standing in front of her, and not just in her imagination this time. He look torn, probably wishing he could tell her off, make her feel just as horribly as she made him feel that night, but he didn't make a move. They stood there like that for several long minutes. Finally, he walked over so that they were face-to-face and wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Looks like we need to talk."

* * *

They went back into her bedroom after Jarred had went upstairs to give them some privacy. Rebecca sat down on the mattress, feeling self-conscious under his intense gaze. He was trying a great deal not to reach out and touch her, to feel the smooth skin of her cheek again. "I miss you," he said softly. When Rebecca looked up at him again, he was staring down at his feet; it astounded her how he could sound both passionate and guarded at the same time. She took his hands into hers and his gaze rested on her again. "I've missed you since the moment I walked away from you," she said, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

His eyes widened in return, and he shook his head slightly in disbelief. "Then why-" "I had to do what's best for my child, Bo," she interrupted, her vision blurring, "I didn't want to give you up, but I had to. My son comes first." He sat there in silence, taking in her words. He understood, even though he didn't have a kid of his own, and he found that he admired her willingness to suffer for Jarred. "But apparently, he doesn't mind you that much," she said as she laughed humorously. "I don't mind him," Bo replied, looking her in the eye, "He's a pretty sharp kid."

Rebecca smiled through her tears and nodded, taking pleasure of the warmth of their hands pressed together. "So where do we stand?" she asked cautiously, not ready to let this moment go if he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. He pulled his hands away and stood up, making her stomach drop, but he knelt down in front of her, his face serious. "My previous offer still stands. Will you be mine, and mine only?" She held back, sobbing in relief, and settled for nodding feverishly, kissing him back when he leaned in to press his lips on hers.

She gasped as his hands ran down her waist, pulling her in closer. Bo placed her on top of his lap, kicking his boots off at the same time, and deepened their kisses. She eagerly complied, opening her mouth so his tounge could gain entrance. Their tounges wrestled for dominance as they ripped off each others clothes in a frenzied hurry, anxious to feel the other's skin on theirs. He pulled away once they got down to their underwear and walked over to lock her bedroom door. When he turned back, he walked slowly towards her, teasing her with each deliberate step. He never took his eyes off of her as he unhurriedly pulled her panties down her legs and tossing them onto the floor with the rest of their clothes.

Her eyes rolled back as his tounge ran across her lower region, lapping her up like a hungry kitten. He was fighting for dominance again, and she knew he was going to win this time. But before she could reach her climax, he pulled away quickly and positioned himself over top of her, wasting no time as he slammed inside her. Every inch of her was slick, from her head to her toes; after a few seconds, she noticed he was slick too. Their bodies effortlessly slid across one another, creating a natural motion that they timed their thrusts to. Her body was so hot, she felt surprised that she didn't spontaneously combust into flame. She couldn't tell up from down, she couldn't remember her own name; all she knew was him.

Pleasure rolled through her body like the thunder outside the window; each time he plunged into her was like a bolt of lightning. She licked the beads of sweat that ran down his shoulders, delighting in how the salty taste seemed to heighten the sensuality. He groaned when she nibbled at his collarbone, the sharpness of her touch almost pushing him over the edge. She was begging, pleading, none of her words making any sense, but he understood- a few seconds later, she was seeing stars. She stared at them in wonder, completely in awe of the man who was able to create entire constellations, spinning them out for only her to see.

* * *

They got back together that night, and you could almost feel Ambrose sigh in relief. Bo's spell of hatred towards his customers and spite towards his family was over. He was cheerful now as he threw himself into conversations at the dinner table and was especially helpful to anyone who came to his shop, and in the evenings, he would be with Rebecca; it was just like clockwork. Even though it was a huge source of gossip, the townspeople would smile when Bo and Rebecca walked down the streets, his arm wrapped around her waist; it made them genuinely happy that the couple seemed to be on the right track this time around. He even accompanied Jarred to his little league games, and it became a normal sight for the two to practice tossing the baseball back and forth in Rebecca's back yard.

For that first week of their reunion, they ended each day in passionate lovemaking. Their bodies stayed intertwined long after they had finished, just feeling the contentment of finally being back together. But it wasn't long before the both of them began feeling restless, like something wasn't quite right with how they spent their evenings. They subconsciously started spending all their free time doing other activities together, going on triple dates with Bo's brothers and their significant others or playing with the always energetic Jarred. And by the time the day came to a close, they were almost too exhausted to even kiss each other good night.

* * *

Every Sunday, Vincent and Allison would accompany Lester, Leslie and Emmy to church. Although Allison had never been much of a religious person, the first time she ever heard Lester practicing his sermon in front of Leslie, she became captivated, going to the church the next day and had been going ever since. It seemed to have taken a positive effect on her and Vincent's relationship too; they felt happy, more than the typical couple in the "honey moon phase." They hadn't slept together yet either; the simplest gaze into each other's eyes, just to see the love and care they had for one another, was enough intimacy for them.

* * *

One Sunday morning, Rebecca woke up, fresh out of a dreamless sleep. The clock read 9:30am, which made her frown. She was normally a late sleeper and not a morning person at all. The morning light shone through part of her bedroom window curtains, illuminating the room in a burgundy colored haze. Beside her, Bo snored lightly, his arm still wrapped around her even in his sleep. She smiled to herself and snuggled up closer to him. She loved him so much, and she just felt so overjoyed that they were back together and officially a couple now.

But although she felt perfectly comfortable just spending the morning in bed, in Bo's arms, something deep down inside of her was urging her to get, to get moving. She frowned again and sat up. The motion ended up stirring Bo, who woke up soon after and he sat up too after he yawned and stretched. He draped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a good morning kiss. "What's wrong, baby?" he asked, now taking in her serious facial expression. She shook her head, not really knowing what to say, because she didn't really know why she was feeling the way she was.

Finally, after a minute of Bo gazing at her worriedly, she got up out of bed and started getting dressed. "Come on," she said when she noticed Bo still sitting there and staring at her like she was crazy. But he didn't make a move to get up; he remained seated, only raising his arm to scratch his head in confusion. But eventually he shrugged to himself and starting getting dressed too, curious of what was making his girlfriend in such a rush. "Where are we going?" he asked as he zipped up his jeans and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it. Rebecca put on her coat and opened the bedroom door, calling for Jarred to get ready and that they were leaving in five minutes. "We're going to your house."

**Once again, sorry about the delay. The fall semester started about a month ago, plus I've been having some writer's block issues. Next chapter should be up in the next day or two!**


	9. Chapter 9

The Sinclair home was filled with sunlight and quiet chatter as the two couples and Emmy ate breakfast before church started. Their positive energy seemed to be like static in the air as they all chowed down, laughing and talking to one another, for some reason especially excited for today's service. When the front door opened, they all turned simultaneously and looked in that direction, then smiled when Rebecca, Bo, and Jarred came into view. "Rebecca!" the other two women squealed, jumping up and rushing over to give her a big hug. The three women had quickly become close, and they spend all their free time with each other when the men were at work.

Once they finished greeting Bo and pinching Jarred on the cheeks, Emmy came over and hugged Jarred, then wordlessly led him to the chair beside hers. Leslie bit her lip and smiled at the scene, giving Rebecca a humored glance. Lester reclaimed their attention with a wave of his arm, gesturing for them all to come sit down and finish eating. The conversation started up again, along with sound of silverware scraping against plates, the excitement heightened even more by the presence of three more people. Soon, everyone was wiping their mouths with napkins and standing back up to head out the door.

"Bo, are you and Rebecca joining us today?" Lester asked, attempting to sound casual. Rebecca nodded enthusiastically and Bo just shrugged. The other women whooped and quickly locked arms together, walking in a line down the porch steps, looking like a group of excited, chattering teenage girls. Lester gave his brother a pat on the back, letting everyone else out the door before locking it behind him. Every person who saw the large group of people gave them smiles, commenting to their friends of how happy they all looked and what a beautiful family they were together.

Unfortunately, they got to the church a little later than planned, so there wasn't much time for them to socialize with the rest of the congregation beforehand. Lester shook a few people's hands before walking up to the pulpit and raising his hands up, calling everyone to order and waited for everyone to sit down. "I come here today with a heavy heart," he began, "As many of you may know, my mother was Trudy Sinclair. Now she was a sweet women to all her neighbors and fellow townspeople and an accomplished artist, but in the privacy of her own home, she was a vastly different person. Mean and cold-hearted towards her own husband and children. But she also had a cyst in her brain that was causing her to act this way. It was eating her from the inside out, and in that physical pain and emotional struggle, she chose to lash out at us."

"I believe that the Devil is much like that cyst: chewing at us on the inside and hurting our loved ones. And he wants us to make that choice to just give up and give in to the dark side, to act selfishly. But I'll tell you some good news, my brothers and sisters, and that is that there is a way out: God." The room was filled with the cries of "Amen!" before he continued again. "In Acts chapter 16, when a great earthquake shook the doors to the prison cells open, the guard grew deathly frightened and begged Paul and Silas to tell him what to do to be saved. And their answer was simple. You must simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Out of the corner of his eye, Bo saw that Rebecca was crying; tears were rushing down her face as she stared intently at Lester, completely captivated by each word that he spoke. Bo smiled, suddenly feeling a ray of joy and completeness shine through him. He felt weightless, like he belonged somewhere for once in his life. His brother's sermon became like background noise in his ears and he found himself looking at each of the stained glass windows that covered the walls of the church. He noted how each of the pews that were touched by the light turned blue, red, and yellow, shining bright, enchanting him with its simple beauty. With a jolt, he realized he was crying just as Rebecca was. He knew that he was feeling the exact same thing she was and finally understood why Rebecca was drawn to come here.

Even after everyone else had already gotten up and were heading towards the door, Rebecca and Bo sat still, staring forward. After a moment, they turned to each other and looked into each other's eyes. They didn't have to speak for them to know what the other was thinking, so they sat there with their fingers woven together. Finally, they came together, embracing each other as both of their cheeks were becoming stained with tears. They laughed when they felt Vincent and Allison hug them too and pulled apart, smiling up at them. Allison grasped both of their hands and gave them a gentle squeeze; she had the same reaction when she first came to the church and was overjoyed for her friends to be feeling the same way.

When the four reached the door, Leslie and Lester were there to greet them with huge smiles. Lester went to shake Bo's hand just like he did every other churchgoer, but Bo abruptly pulled him in close, hugging him with all his might. Lester stood there, holding him tight and letting him let out all the pain and frustration that had built up over his entire life. Leslie, Vincent, Rebecca and Allison nonchalantly made their way down the steps, giving the two brothers some privacy so Bo could finally have his closure. They had just made it to the bottom step when a man in an expensive looking suit approached them. "I'm sorry to both you," he said as he gave them a friendly smile, "My name is William Derek, I'm a doctor from Boston. I've been here visiting my sister and I noticed your face."

He turned to Vincent now, brushing the hair away from the right side of his face and speaking to him in a tone that was professional instead of condescending. "I specialize in body reconstruction, and the rest of my team and I have nearly perfected the art of using skin grafts to restore areas of the body damaged by burns or other injuries. I'd love to have a talk with you, if you're willing." The doctor handed Vincent a business card and gave the group a collective nod before walking away. No one really knew what to say, even Lester and Bo, who had rejoined everyone and overheard the last part of the conversation. But finally, everyone broke out into laughter and even happy tears and they swarmed around Vincent to give him a group hug. And Vincent smiled back at them, giving them a grin that was bigger than anytime he had ever smiled before.

* * *

~Six and a half months later~

Leslie stood in the kitchen of the Sinclair house, stirring a pot filled with macaroni noodles as the roast beef cooked in the oven for dinner that night. She was alone, except for Emmy, who sat in her dad's usual chair, pretending that she was the head of the household, a princess from a faraway land. But when she got tired of that game, she folded her little arms over her torso and puckered her lips; she had missed her nap for the day and was feeling tired. The front door opened and Bo came in, joining his niece at the table and ruffling her hair playfully. She giggled and pushed his hand away, but soon returned to her grumpy state again.

"Where's Les?" Bo asked as he reached across the table to pick up the newspaper. Leslie frowned in return. "He's still at the church with Vincent, fixing that broken railing." Bo furrowed his brow in confusion. "They didn't ask me to help," he murmured, feeling a little left out. Leslie chuckled softly, saying, "Bo, you just got off work. How would you have been able to help?" He only shrugged in reply, turning his attention to the paper. Next to him, Emmy began to fuss, complaining that she was hungry and she was hungry now.

Leslie turned around in an instant, pointing the wooden spoon at Emmy with a stern look on her face. "Child, you better calm yourself," she said in a no-nonsense tone, "You can either sit at the table quietly or go play in your room. But if you keep acting up, I will beat your tail until you are black and blue, you understand?" Emmy nodded, pouting and looking down at her lap. Bo stared at Leslie with his eyebrows raised and she pointed the spoon at him too before turning back around. He chuckled under his breath; he knew Leslie would never actually "beat" Emmy, she only said things like that to keep her daughter from acting wild. And it seemed to work. Other than a few tantrums over the years, Emmy was a well-behaved child.

Leslie sighed to herself as she kept watch over the food. It had been a long day and frankly, she was exhausted. About a month earlier, Vincent proposed to Allison, who said yes, of course. Right after the proposal, Allison recruited Leslie to help her create the perfect wedding with a winter wonderland theme. Leslie had a lot on her plate to have everything done by December, which was less than four months away, but she had pulled off things before in less time. But between her constant wedding planning and making sure the house stayed clean and food was on the table at every meal, she barely had any time to spend with Lester. He was extremely busy too, with his work in the community and writing his weekly sermons. Plus, so many people had requested that he do a Wednesday night service as well, so he had yet another message to write out.

The door opened again, interrupting Leslie's frazzled thoughts. Vincent and Allison walked in, hand-in-hand, followed by Rebecca who skipped over to Bo's side to gave him a quick, but passionate smooch on the lips. "Where's Lester?" Leslie asked worriedly, but he soon came into view too. She gave a small sigh in relief; whenever she got to see her husband at the end of the day, it felt as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She set the spoon down on the counter and met Lester in doorway, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him zealously. The others shouted and gave them catcalls, which Leslie promptly ignored.

"Hey Leslie, you better get off my brother before you end up burning dinner!" Bo called out. Her eyes popped open wide. "Ohh, crap!" she exclaimed, pulling herself away to get the roast beef out, smacking Bo over the head as she passed him. A few minutes later, the table was set and Leslie and Rebecca poured sweet tea for them, their men, and their kids. Except for Vincent, who gestured for Allison to stay sitting, and he got up to pour their drinks. "You never do anything nice like that for me," Rebecca commented to Bo as she watched Vincent set their glasses down and Allison kiss him on his bandaged cheek; he had taken the doctor up on his offer a couple weeks before and had just went through the first round of skin grafts. "You're spoiled enough just by being with me," he teased, and she pushed him playfully.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the table was cleared off and everyone had left to go to their own rooms, except for Lester and Leslie. All the lights were out save for the kitchen light, and even that was dim. Lester got two mugs out of the cabinet and set them on the table, then turned to start the coffee machine. Leslie went to the fridge to get out the milk carton and set it down just as Lester filled up the cups and placed the sugar bowl down. They had gotten to that point in their lives where, even though they both had a long day of work the next day, neither of them felt tired enough to even think about going to bed.

Leslie took a sip, hissing softly as the coffee scorched her throat, but she liked it hot. They sat there, reveling in the stillness of the house, enjoying the quietness of the late hours of the evening. After they finished, Lester took the mugs and rinsed them out before putting them back on the shelf. Then, without speaking, Lester grabbed Leslie, not by the hand but by the forearm, and guided her to the back of the house. She was surprised that he lightly pushed her into the game room. Bo and Vincent had moved the pool table from out of the living room after the second time Emmy bumped her head on it. Even though Leslie tried to tell them that accidents happen, especially with kids, but they were insistent.

Lester closed the door and turned the lock, then turned around to face her. His severe expression made her breath catch in her throat and her blood run cold. She could feel her heart pounding loudly as he moved slowly toward her. When he reached her, he pushed her against the pool table and flipped her around. She whimpered as he bound her wrists together with some sort of cloth; she had always had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, wondering if the three brothers would end up turning back to their sadistic ways. She drew in a shaky breath as he brushed the tears away from her eyes, then cried out as he placed a piece of duct tape over her mouth.

His hands caressed her bare skin, leaving a trail of heat and goosebumps behind them. He pulled down her skirt and underwear in a swift motion and inched closer to her. Leslie froze when she felt him on the border of her womanhood, then not a second later, he was inside her. She moaned against the tape, her toes curling, and her face was flush of color. "Did you really think I was trying to hurt you?" he asked as he spun her so she was on her back, "We could all use a little stress relief around here." He nimbly untied her wrists and peeled off the tape before enclosed her legs around his hips, slamming into her again. She gasped out loud and pulled herself in closer, throwing her head back in bliss.

After, they lay on the surface of the pool table, completely naked and cuddling up next to each other. Leslie giggled as Lester nuzzled his head into the nook of her shoulder, tickling her with his hair. "I didn't mean to scare you or nothing," he muttered, lifting his head up to look her in the eye. She smiled and rubbed his arm. "Don't worry," she said, "you made up for it."

* * *

The two ended up falling asleep there, only waking up when the bright morning sunlight penetrated their eyes. As they were stretching out their stiff limbs when Bo burst in the door. He groaned and covered his eyes when he saw them completely exposed. "Jeez, you guys!" he complained, "Is this what I get for volunteering to come find you guys? Your daughter is looking for ya'll." Lester and Leslie chuckled as Bo slammed the door behind him, mumbling to himself, acting like such a martyr.

They quickly got dressed in the same clothes from last night and headed into the kitchen where everyone else was. All the other adults gave them sly looks and Allison winked at them when they sat down. "Mommy, why are you and Daddy's clothes all wrinkly?" Leslie looked at Emmy's wide inquisitive eyes like a deer in headlights for a moment, then smiled widely. "Oh my gosh, sweetie, you're right! I must have forgotten to iron them this morning!" Emmy giggled and went back to focusing on her plate filled with scrambled eggs and bacon, while the rest of the group snickered under their breath, ignoring Leslie's glares.

Breakfast continued then with everyone loudly conversating with each other, passing around the platter of pancakes and bacon, while the women groaning as the men ate sloppily. Leslie sat back in her chair, looking around at the people that made up her family. It wasn't until that instant that she realized how much her family had grown, how much had happened over the past nearly five years. It had went from just her and the three brothers, to her, the three brothers, two women, and two kids. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Lester trying to get her attention. "You okay, Cherry?" She looked over to Lester, who was looking at her curiously. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm great."


	10. Chapter 10

After the wedding reception, Lester asks Leslie if she wants another baby with him. (She'll say yes, and they start trying right away.)

After the wedding reception, Bo is going to propose to Rebecca. (She'll say yes.)

Immediately after returning from their honeymoon, Vincent and Allison become pregnant with a baby girl. (Her name will be Autumn.)

A few days later, Leslie gives birth to a boy. (His name will be Ezekiel.)

The three couples remain in the Sinclair house, large enough to hold all of them and their kids. (And they all lived happily ever after.)

The End

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